Moistener



G. H- JAMES Nov. 18, 1958 MOISTENER Filed Aug. 1, 1955 29 1 VENTOR.

ATTORNE United States Patent 1 MOISTENER Gertrude H. James, Chicago,111.

Application August 1, 1955, Serial No. 525,425 5 Claims. c1. 15-1325This invention relates to a moistener, and more particularly to a devicefor Wetting or moistening surfaces, as for-example, the adhesive coatedflaps of envelopes, and the invention has particular utility in theenvironmental setting of a moistener for the wettable adhesive ofenvelope flaps.

In offices and other business establishments that send out aconsiderable volume of mail, the task of sealing the envelopes istedious and time consuming. The primary reason for this is that noeflicient and dependable device is presently available for wetting theadhesive coating on the envelope flaps prior to the sealing thereof. Thelack of a suitable moistener device exists irrespective of the largenumber of moisteners that are commercially available.

In a large number of the moistening devices commercially available forWetting the adhesive coatings of envelope flaps, rollers are employedand the rollers are intended as they rotate to pick up water and depositit on the adhesive coatings. However, because of the particularstructural arrangements, the rollers soon collect a coating of adhesivethereon which interferes with and ultimately prevents the free rotationthereof whereby the moisteners become ineffective and useless. Further,in known devices of this type, no arrangement is provided for regulatingor adjusting the quantity of water picked up by the rollers anddeposited on the adhesive coatings. In some of the moisteners which mayor may not employ rollers, but in any event have an equivalentdeposition member for engagement with the'adhesive coatings, water flowsfrom a reservoir under the influence of gravity to the depositionmember, and with such an arrangement the amount of water carried to thedeposition member will depend upon the quantity of water within thereservoir. That is to say, because of the changes in water pressure,moreliquid will be carried to the adhesive coatings when the reservoiris full than when the reservoir is partially empty. Moreover, adhesivecollections soon form on the deposition member and such collectionsinterfere with the free fiow of water to the surfaces of depositionmembers and onto the adhesive coatings. Such devices, and all others ofwhich I am aware of, fall far short of satisfying the needs for adependable and easily operated moistening device for wetting theadhesive coatings of envelope flaps.

There is then a need for an improved moistening device, and it isaccordingly an object of this invention to provide an improved moistenerespecially suited for use in the wetting of adhesive coatings onenvelope flaps. Another object of this invention is to provide amoistener wherein means are present for enabling the user to regulateand selectively determine the quantity of water fed to a depositionmember for depositing on the adhesive coating of envelope flaps. Stillanother object is in the provision of a moistening device employing aroller as the deposition member for applying moisture to the adhesive ofenvelope flaps, and wherein the roller is supported for free rotation ina manner such that adhesive collections deposition assembly 13. handle11 is gripped within the hand of the user and the ice thereon will notinterfere with the free rotation thereof.

A further object of the invention is that of providing a moistenerwherein the surface tension of the water is utilized in preventing theflow of water to a moistening roller except when the user desires toovercome the sim face tension and meters out a measured volume of waterthat is delivered to the roller. Yet a further object is in theprovision of a moistener of the character described having a flexiblehandle providing a reservoir therein communicating through a stem with asponge roller rotatable mounted thereon, water being forced from thereservoir and into the sponge roller when the handle is flexed, butotherwise being substantially confined within the reservoir and stem bythe small openings communicating with the sponge roller and the surfacetensions of the liquid at those openings. Additional objects andadvantages will become apparent as the specification develops.

device is designated generally with the numeral 10, and

comprises a handle 11, a stem 12 and a roller or liquid In use of themoistener the roller assembly 13 is placed against the adhesive coatingon an envelope flap and as the roller rolls over such coating liquid isdeposited on the coating by the roller.

Referring now to Figure 2 in particular, it is seen that the handle 11and stem 12 may be formed integrally and preferably the stem isrelatively still while the handle 11 is flexible and may be compressedor flexed inwardly,

as is shown by dotted lines in Figure 2. It will be apparent that thestem and handle may be separately formed and secured together by anysuitable means, but for convenience in production it is preferable toform these members integrally. A number of suitable materials may beemployed for forming the handle 11 and stem 12, and one of the wellknown plastics may be employed. Flexibility of the handle 11 may resultfrom making the walls thereof relatively thin while the stem 12 haswalls that are relatively thick.

The handle 11 provides a reservoir or chamber 14- therein that is inopen communication with a longitudinally extending passage 15 in thestem 12. The handle 11 at the upper end thereof is provided with aclosure plug 16 that may be a separate plastic member received withinand bonded to the walls of the handle. Preferably, the plug 16 isprovided with a generally frusto-conical recess 17 therein that emptiesinto a threaded opening or bore 18 that communicates with the reservoir14. A threaded closure cap is adapted to be threadedly received withinthe opening 18 as is shown in Figure 2, and may be drawn tightly againsta resilient washer 20 to seal the opening and prevent the escape ofliquid from the reservoir 14. The cap 19 may be equipped with a fingergrip 21 to facilitate rotation thereof.

The stem 12 is turned laterally at its free end to provide a hearing ormounting portion 22. The passage 15 through the stem also turnslaterally to provide the passage extension 23 that terminates short ofthe outer end of the mounting member 22. Communicating with the passageextension 23 are a plurality of radially extending passages or openings24 that communicate with the cylindrical surface of the bearing member22. A considerable number of passages 24 are provided so that liquidcarried from the reservoir 14will be dispersed relatively uniformlyabout the surface of the mounting member 22. The passageways 24 arerestricted and provide small openings at the surface of the mountingmember. The openings are designed to be and are so small that thesurface tension of the liquid, which ordinarily will be water, appearingat the surface of the member 22 will be suflicient to substantiallyprevent the water from flowing freely from the passageways under theinfluence of gravity and the liquid pressure within the reservoir 14 andpassages 15 and 23.

The mounting member 22 at the end thereof adjacent the stem 12 isequipped with an annular rib or lock member 25 that is adapted to bereceived within an annular channel 26 provided in a locking sleeve 27.The sleeve 27 is cylindrical and is adapted to be received on themounting member 22, as is shown in Figure 2, and is freely rotatablethereon. The outer end of the mounting member 22, as is shown at 28, isclosed, preferably by a plug 29 seated in the end of the passage 23.Similarly, the cylindrical surface of the sleeve 27 is provided with aplurality of ports or openings 30 therethrough that are preferably alllocated on one side of the recess 26; that is, on the side thereofadjacent the closed end 28.

As is seen most clearly in Figure 4, the inner or open end of the sleeve27 is split longitudinally, as is shown at 31, so that it may be mountedreadily on the member 22 with the split end portion thereof expandingslightly so as to move over the lock rib 25 of the mounting member. In areverse operation the slit 31 also permits the mounting sleeve to bewithdrawn or removed from the mounting member 22 for replacement. Thesleeve may be formed of metal or plastic, but should be formed from amaterial that is not corroded by water and one that is relatively stiffso that it will rotate freely upon the mounting member 22.

Secured to the sleeve 27 and mounted thereabout is a roller 32 that isabsorbent and capable of retaining water forced thereinto. The rollermay be formed from either natural or synthetic sponges. As is apparentfrom Figures 2 and 3, the sleeve 27 is received within a suitableopening centrally disposed within the sponge roller 32, and is bonded tothe sponge roller by any suitable means, such as an adhesive that isimpervious to water so that the sponge will not become loose through useof the moistener device.

Referring now to Figure 5, it is seen that the stem 12, at the lower endthereof, is equipped with an integral bearing face 33 that flaresrearwardly or away from the edge of the roller 32, as is apparent fromFigure 2. In this manner the face does not interfere with the freerotation of the roller assembly, yet provides in conjunction with thesponge roller 32 a substantial liquidtight seal about the sleeve 27. Inorder to conserve material and to make the device more readily handled,the stem 12 is considerably smaller in cross section than the handle 11,and these two members may be connected integrally through a taperedsection 34.

Operation In use of the moistener device a sleeve 27 equipped with asponge roller 32 is mounted upon the mounting member 22, as is shown inFigure 2. The cooperating annular rib 25 and recess 26 prevent theroller assembly from being removed from the mounting member except whenit is intentionally withdrawn therefrom. When it is intended to removethe roller assembly, a pulling force is applied thereto and the slittedend portion of the sleeve spreads slightly to permit it to move over therib 25. Theroller assembly is mounted upon the member 22 by simplypushing it onto the member to bring the recess 26in alignment with therib 2s.

Next, the closure cap 19 is removed and water is poured into thereservoir 14. In this operation the frustoconical shape of the recess 17makes the recess serve as a funnel so that the reservoir is readily andeasily filled without spilling any of the water. The closure cap is thenplaced in position and is drawn tightly against the seal 20 to close thereservoir and prevent the escape of water therefrom. It will be apparentthat the water within the reservoir flows downwardly through the passage15, laterally through the passage extension 23, and into the restrictedports or passageways 24.

As has been brought out hereinbefore, the flow passages 24 arerestricted and are dimensioned so that the surface tension of the liquidappearing at the cylindrical surface of the mounting member 22, or atthe openings of the passageways, is suflicient to prevent anysubstantial escape of water into the sponge roller 32. When it isdesired to load the sponge with water, the handle 22 is compressed andwater is forced therefrom, through the passages 15 and 23, and outwardlythrough the passageways 24 and into the sponge roller 32. The mountingsleeve 27 is provided with the openings 30 so that the water ejectedfrom the passageways 24 may flow freely into the sponge roller 32. Sincethe openings 30 and passageways 24 are distributed along the axialsurfaces of the mounting member 22 and sleeve, a relatively uniformdistribution of water is provided throughout the sponge roller 32.

The charge of water loaded into the sponge 32 will be dependent upon theamount of compression or flexing imparted to the flexible handle 11.Thus, a measured or metered volume of water is loaded into the roller.If only a slight dampening of the roller is desired, the handle 11 isflexed lightly, while if it is desired to saturate the roller, thehandle 11 may be flexed repeatedly or a single compression force ofsubstantial magnitude may be applied thereto.

The moisture laden sponge roller 32 is rolled over the adhesive coatingon envelope flaps, and in rolling thereover moistens or wets thecoating. The amount of Wetting of the adhesive coating depends to aconsiderable degree upon the amount of water carried at any time by thesponge roller. Thus, since controlled or metered volumes of water may beinjected into the roller, the extent to which an adhesive coating iswetted by the roller can be accurately controlled.

It should be noted that the roller assembly extends freely from the stem12 and no structural members enclose or partially enclose the outersurfaces of the roller 32. Thus, not only is the assembly freelyrotatable initially, but any adhesive picked up by the roller will notinterfere with the free rotation of the assembly. Further, because it isfreely rotatable, there will be little tendency for the roller to pickup adhesive and it may be used for long periods without having to bepurged of adhesive collections or replaced with a new roller. The lineengagement of the roller 32 with the face 33 provides a seal about theinner end of the sleeve 27 so that any water that migrates inwardlyalong the mounting member 22 will not escape but will be picked up bythe sponge. The flare of the face 33, which may define an angle of aboutS'degrees measured between the face and a plane normal to thelongitudinal axis of the passage 23, spaces the face from the rollerthroughout substantially the entire area of the face, thereby preventinginterference with the free rotation of the. roller assembly.

It is contemplated that occasionally the roller assembly may need to bereplaced, and simple replacement units comprising the sleeve 27 andsponge roller 32 may be provided. Thus, to change the assembly, oneroller and sleeve is withdrawn from the mounting member 22 and anothersimilar assembly is placed thereon. Alternatively, the sponge rollersmight be provided along with adhesive for bonding them to the sleeve 27,which in such case would be reused, or a snug fit might possibly beprovided between the roller and sleeve so that adhesives or otherbonding means might be eliminated and one roller simply would bewithdrawn from the sleeve and replaced with another roller.

While in the foregoing specification an embodiment of the invention hasbeen set forth in considerable detail for purposes of describing theinvention in an environmental setting, it will be apparent that thoseskilled in the art may make numerous changes in the details set forthwithout departing from the spirit and principles of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a moistening device adapted for use in wetting the adhesivecoating of envelope flaps, a flexible handle providing a deformablereservoir therein and having a cap-equipped opening for filling thereservoir with liquid, a stem extending from said handle, said stembeing pro vided with a passage theren communicating with said reservoir,a mounting member carried by said stem and extending laterallytherefrom, said mounting member being equipped with a plurality ofrestricted fio-W passageways opening through the surface thereof andcommunicating with said passage, a sleeve provided with a plurality ofopenings therethrough rotatably mounted upon said mounting member, and asponge roller carried by said sleeve, said mounting member beingprovided with an annular rib extending laterally therefrom, and saidsleeve being provided with at least one slit extending longitudinallytherealong and with an annular recess aligned with and receiving saidrib, said sleeve being removably mounted upon said mounting member, thesplit portion of said sleeve being operative to faclitate movementthereof onto and off of said mounting member about said annular rib.

2. The structure of claim 1 in which said mounting member is providedadjacent the inner end thereof with an inclined face continguous withsaid sponge roller along a concentric line adjacent the inner portionsthereof.

3. In a moistening device adapted for use in wetting the adhesivecoating of envelope flaps, a compressible handle providing a deformablereservoir therein adapted to contain a liquid, a stem extending fromsaid handle, said stem being provided with a passage thereincommunicating with said reservoir, a mounting member carried by saidstem and extending therefrom, said mounting member being provided with aplurality of restricted flow passageways communicating with said passageand terminating in openings on the surface of the mounting member, asleeve rotatably carried by said mounting member and being provided witha plurality of openings therethrough, an absorbent roller carried bysaid sleeve, said mounting member being provided with an annular ribextending laterally therefrom, and said sleeve being provided with atleast one slit extending longitudinally therealong and with an annularrecess aligned with and receiving said rib, said sleeve being removablymounted upon said mounting member, the split portion of said sleevebeing operative to facilitate movement thereof onto and off of saidmounting member about said annular rib.

4. The structure of claim 3 in which said mounting member is providedadjacent the inner end thereof with an inclined face in contiguousrelation with said roller along a concentric line adjacent the innerportions thereof.

5. The moistening device of claim 3 in which said first mentionedopenings are dimensioned with respect to the viscosity of the liquidcontained in said reservoir so that the surface tension of such liquidpresent at such openings is effective to constrain the liquid therein sothat such liquid must be positively fed from sad reservoir bycompressing the same to moisten said roller.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS450,662 Darrell Apr. 21, 1891 681,425 Tyre Aug. 27, 1901 1,426,909Rayder Aug. 22, 1922 1 1,527,971 Forsell et al. Mar. 3, 1925 1,565,979Bachrach Dec. 15, 1925 2,165,812 Pfleger July 11, 1939 2,565,743Schaefer Aug. 28, 1951 2,722,029 Barnes et al. Nov. 1, 1955 2,761,167Bridgford Sept. 4, 1956

